Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.

Tatoos, pink hair and piercings oh my!

Weâ€™ve all grown accustomed to the daring style statements of Will and Jada Pinkett Smithâ€™s daughter, Willow. In the last year alone, the young celeb has been seen sporting sky-high platform shoes, bright green hair, and, as of late, a tongue piercing. Did we mention sheâ€™s only 11 years old?

The most recent cause of public uproar came when Willow instagrammed a picture of her and a friend proudly displaying their mouth piercings (there she is, at right). Turns out the piercing was a magnetic stud, but critics still questioned the Smithsâ€™ lenient parenting style and its effect on their kids. In the past, Will has publicly defended his daughterâ€™s choices, explaining that Willow is in control of her body and can decide what she does with it (including shaving her head). Though weâ€™re all for nurturing a childâ€™s independence, we canâ€™t help but ask: When your child is 11, how much freedom is just too much?

Itâ€™s important to help your kid develop his individuality, even if that means occasionally giving in to his newfound â€ślet me do it!â€ť demands. Sure, allowing your youngster to wear his Halloween costume to the grocery store once is cute, but what if he insists on donning it every single day for a month? If you give in now, could that pave the way for a child to insist on hair dye or piercings (fake or otherwise) later? While we all want our children to learn to fly solo, we wonder where the line between self-sufficiency and complete autonomy lies, and how far parents are willing to go to let their kids feel independent.

If your child wanted to shave her head, dye her hair, or â€śpierceâ€ť her tongue, would you let her?

I would let my kid dye her hair. Nit sure about shaving her whole head, but unsure about that. No body piercings till she was 18. And I already told my son, he can get ask the tattoos he wants once he is 18, I won't sign for them.

Maybe because I'm younger I'm more understanding, I dyed my hair bright red 3 weeks ago and I love it. I love that when I'm in a store I get kids commenting about my red hair, it makes me stand out. I also am lenient about piercings. I have my naval pierced, I am going to have to take it out soon but after I'm going to get it redone. When you tell your child they can't do something, especially when it's their OWN body, they will just do it themselves. Every time my mom or dad said no to a piercing I have just done it myself. I don't think parents have a right to tell their kid they can't be different if it's what they want. I've just never understood it.

At 11? Definitely no on the piercing. I do have mine BUT 11 is too young, I feel. Shaving head? A girl? I think not. Dyeing hair...depends on the color but even then we'd talk about it. I mean, we would talk about all of these but I won't budge on some things.

I get what your saying about kids doing what parents say not to do. But don't you think as a parent we should still set rules and boundaries and shouldn't kids respect those set boundaries? Tattoos are pretty much permanent. Piercings not so much. BUT, there's lots of risks with both of them, wouldn't it be better if kids waited until they were older and truly understood what they were getting into.

I didn't get my first tatoo until I was 30 and I REALLY thought about where to place it because let's face it..your body won't look the same now as it will when your 80. I think most kids don't think that far ahead. Know what I mean?

Quoting SixteenPregnant:

Maybe because I'm younger I'm more understanding, I dyed my hair bright red 3 weeks ago and I love it. I love that when I'm in a store I get kids commenting about my red hair, it makes me stand out. I also am lenient about piercings. I have my naval pierced, I am going to have to take it out soon but after I'm going to get it redone. When you tell your child they can't do something, especially when it's their OWN body, they will just do it themselves. Every time my mom or dad said no to a piercing I have just done it myself. I don't think parents have a right to tell their kid they can't be different if it's what they want. I've just never understood it.

Very well said VisionSeeker.... I wanted to say the same thing, but wasn't sure how to word it without sounding snarky. :-)

Quoting VisionSeeker:

I get what your saying about kids doing what parents say not to do. But don't you think as a parent we should still set rules and boundaries and shouldn't kids respect those set boundaries? Tattoos are pretty much permanent. Piercings not so much. BUT, there's lots of risks with both of them, wouldn't it be better if kids waited until they were older and truly understood what they were getting into.

I didn't get my first tatoo until I was 30 and I REALLY thought about where to place it because let's face it..your body won't look the same now as it will when your 80. I think most kids don't think that far ahead. Know what I mean?

Quoting SixteenPregnant:

Maybe because I'm younger I'm more understanding, I dyed my hair bright red 3 weeks ago and I love it. I love that when I'm in a store I get kids commenting about my red hair, it makes me stand out. I also am lenient about piercings. I have my naval pierced, I am going to have to take it out soon but after I'm going to get it redone. When you tell your child they can't do something, especially when it's their OWN body, they will just do it themselves. Every time my mom or dad said no to a piercing I have just done it myself. I don't think parents have a right to tell their kid they can't be different if it's what they want. I've just never understood it.

Send me email updates about messages I've received on the site and the latest news from The CafeMom Team.
By signing up, you certify that you are female and accept the Terms of Service and have read the
Privacy Policy.